Financial and Consumer Services Commission of New Brunswick · initial source review 29 July 2026 · page updated 17 October 2026
Virtual staging rules in New Brunswick
Source dates are shown below. We have not confirmed every current member-only MLS rule; verification gaps are not exemptions.
No staging rule, and one genuinely open legal question. New Brunswick's provisions prohibit misleading "statements." Whether a photograph is a "statement" has never been tested here — I found no decision, bulletin, or guidance applying either section to an image. New Brunswick is also mid-transition to a new governing Act, so this one needs re-checking more often than the others.
What you're actually bound by
Section 43.11(1) of the Real Estate Agents Act for advertising, and s. 43.61 more broadly for misleading or untrue statements in a regulated activity. Read them knowing the "statement" question above is unresolved.
Practical editing guidance for New Brunswick
Sections 43.11(1) and 43.61 of the Real Estate Agents Act — no misleading or untrue statements in advertising or a regulated activity. Whether a photograph is a "statement" is untested here.
Workflow and checks
- ✓Adding furniture, rugs, art, lamps and plants to the room as photographed
- ✓Showing how a vacant or sparsely furnished room could be laid out
- ✓Removing movable furniture only after checking the MLS policy and verifying the surfaces revealed; do not infer permission solely because an object is a chattel.
- ✓Our recommendation: disclose the edit using your MLS’s accepted format. The cited general advertising provision does not specify a staging label, but other rules may apply.
Restrictions and edits to avoid
- ✕Moving or removing walls, or changing the size or shape of a room
- ✕Adding windows, doors, fireplaces, built-ins or any fixture that is not there
- ✕Changing the flooring, wall colour, countertops, cabinets or finishes
- ✕Fixing the view, the neighbouring house, power lines or the lot
- ✕Painting over damage, stains, cracks or anything a buyer would call a defect
Stage within the rule
Drag the handle. The walls, window and floor are the ones in the photo — only the furniture was added.
VirtuallyStage furnishes the room in your photo and leaves the walls, windows, floor and fixtures exactly as photographed — the accuracy test every rule on this page comes down to. Furniture removal works the same way. $35 for 8 photos ($4.38 each), no subscription, about 15 seconds a photo.
The actual text
Quoted verbatim. Anything marked regulator guidance is the regulator's stated interpretation rather than a binding section.
The advertising provision
No licensee shall make any false, misleading or deceptive statements in any advertisement, circular, pamphlet or similar material prepared or used in respect of a regulated activity.
Real Estate Agents Act, RSNB 2011, c. 215, s. 43.11(1) · Read the source
The broader duty
In carrying on a regulated activity, no person shall make a statement that the person knows or reasonably ought to know is misleading or untrue or does not state a fact that is required to be stated or that is necessary to make the statement not misleading.
Real Estate Agents Act, RSNB 2011, c. 215, s. 43.61 · Read the source
What I couldn't verify
- · Both provisions say "statements," not images. Whether a misleading photo is a statement is untested in New Brunswick.
- · FCNB has made only one Rule under the Act — a fees rule. There is no advertising rule.
- · The New Brunswick Real Estate Association Act, 2026 was assented to on 12 June 2026 and changes the regulatory framework. Re-verify this entry on a shorter cycle.
- · General Regulation 85-24 could not be retrieved for keyword checking.
These stay listed until they're closed. If you have access to a document above, I'd genuinely like a copy — get in touch.
New Brunswick questions
Does New Brunswick require virtual staging disclosure?
The cited New Brunswick provisions address misleading advertising. We have not verified every current board requirement or legal interpretation concerning altered photos; do not treat that gap as permission.
Is New Brunswick's framework changing?
Yes. The New Brunswick Real Estate Association Act, 2026 was assented to on 12 June 2026 and changes the regulatory framework. This entry needs re-verification on a shorter cycle than other provinces. FCNB has also made only one Rule under the current Act — a fees rule — so there is no advertising rule to consult.
Before you rely on this
This page is information, not legal advice. I'm a licensed REALTOR®, not a lawyer. Every rule below is quoted from a primary source and linked so you can read it yourself — and where a rule has not been verified, the gap is stated. Rules change, and board MLS rules aren't public, so confirm anything you're relying on with your own board or regulator before you act on it.
Citing this page:
VirtuallyStage, "Virtual Staging Rules in New Brunswick" (initial source review 29 July 2026, content updated 17 October 2026; see source-specific review notes). Researched by Ali Annabi, Licensed REALTOR®, Ontario. https://www.virtuallystage.com/virtual-staging-laws/new-brunswick
Other jurisdictions
Where to go next
- Disclosure wording generator — copy-ready wording for New Brunswick, and for every other province.
- AI furniture removal — check removal-specific restrictions and inspect the surfaces revealed.
- Canadian virtual staging questions — the questions agents ask most, answered from the rules.
- Compare all 13 provinces and territories — side by side, with source editions and verification gaps.
This page is maintained by VirtuallyStage — AI virtual staging and furniture removal for real estate listings, built by a working realtor. We research these rules from the regulators and MLS rulebooks directly, and publish what we could not verify alongside what we could.